In this file photo, Downtown Street Ambassador Shawn McConnell cleans up the downtown area of Bakersfield. The Bakersfield City Council is considering ways to increase downtown cleanup efforts in light of recent homelessness complaints.

Bakersfield City Council to consider private security and cleaning services to address homeless issues

In this file photo, Downtown Street Ambassador Shawn McConnell cleans up the downtown area of Bakersfield. The Bakersfield City Council is considering ways to increase downtown cleanup efforts in light of recent homelessness complaints.

City staff will brief the Bakersfield City Council on efforts the city is taking to mitigate homelessness during its Wednesday meeting.

Among potential options the city may implement to address the growing issue is the use of private security in areas of the city with the highest property crimes and the hiring of a team to clean up human waste downtown.

In a report to the council, the City Manager’s Office said a variety of responses would be necessary to deal with a rising homelessness crisis.

An annual survey of Kern County’s homeless population, known as the point-in-time count, revealed 1,330 homeless individuals within the county in January, with 80 percent residing in metro Bakersfield.

The number represented a 50 percent increase in homelessness compared to the same count the previous year.

Of those counted, 643 were unsheltered.

To deal with complaints of residents and businesses related to homelessness, the city has already implemented several mitigation measures.

Three “rapid response” teams have been formed to quickly handle cleanup efforts related to homelessness and vandalism. Using new employees hired as a result of the funds provided by the recent 1 percent sales tax increase, the teams typically respond within a day to complaints generated by citizens.

The city has also provided funds for 40 new beds at both the Bakersfield Homeless Center and the Mission at Kern County.

But the council will consider additional options at its next meeting.

Two of those options include the hiring of private entities to take on issues that have been the frequent subject of complaints over the last few months.

One initiative that could be taken on would see the city enter into contract with a professional cleaning service or with the “Clean Team” that operates through the Bakersfield Homeless Center to clean up downtown areas that have been dirtied by, among other things, human feces.

The city says recent complaints regarding the waste have been made, and the new contract would address such issues.

Numerous businesses have reported break-ins and vandalism in events that have been widely publicized. In the latest example, Luigi’s was broken into last Tuesday and sprayed with a fire extinguisher.

To combat thefts and burglaries in areas that have been frequently targeted, the Bakersfield Police Department could deploy private security details for patrols.

The department has already been exploring its ability to use crime data to direct the security details.

The City Council would need to approve both contracts before the city moves forward with them.

No cost estimate was included in the city’s report to the council.

The City Manager’s Office recommended the council approve the measures.

The council will also hear an update on the City Manager’s Office’s plan to install a low-barrier shelter somewhere in the city. A total of $4 million has already been approved for the shelter, which would provide housing for homeless individuals who otherwise cannot stay at other shelters in Bakersfield.

However, the city has yet to identify a location for the site, according to the report.

You can reach Sam Morgen at 661-395-7415. You may also follow him on Twitter @smorgenTBC.

Watch this discussion.Stop watching this discussion.

(6) comments

Why don't we use that money to install some of those self-cleaning toilets (that a writer suggested borrowing from France) around town? I'm sure they can be made to look cool, too. Preemptive strategies are needed...less of this reactive garbage.

What could possibly cause a 50% increase in "point-in-time" individuals in our city in ONE YEAR? Where's the common sense, people? Quit facilitating their arrival and stay....I know, I know....what a cruel thing to say.

But, do you really think hiring a squad to clean up human waste after the fact is a "plan"? Why not have people follow them around like people do when walking their dogs?

Call me a cynic, but I have a strong suspicion that anyone willing to defecate on a public street or sidewalk is also willing to do much worse to that same public as a whole. Here's a plan. Free tickets on Amtrak to Oakland and San Francisco...

Welcome to the discussion.

Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,
racist or sexually-oriented language.PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another
person will not be tolerated.Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone
or anything.Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism
that is degrading to another person.Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on
each comment to let us know of abusive posts.Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness
accounts, the history behind an article.